Dear Family, Friends and Compassionate Strangers, I am starting this Fund on behalf of my Father Elmer Pineda. Who was Diagnosed with Stage 4 Non Small Cell Lung Cancer on September 25th 2023.

 A diagnosis that took us all by surprise as my father has also never been a smoker, Before the diagnosis my dad had an ongoing cough and itchy throat that lasted for months, during this time he went to the doctors a couple of times but docotors told him it was just seasonal allergies. As time went on his cough started to get worse and began to get chest pain after each cough. After an X-ray docotors believed he had Pneumonia and gave him anti biotics and sent him home, eventually my father got a 2nd X-ray done that showed that there was something significantly looking worse on the X-ray and my dad was sent to the ER where he was hospitalized for a couple of days to run more tests in which doctors found a mass and a couple of enlarged nodules on my dads right lungs, and told us their suspicions of it possibly being cancer, they scheduled my dad for a biopsy and discharged my father from the hospital. Eventually the Biopsy confirmed my dad had Lung cancer and the journey of more X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans and ultra sounds began. After a couple of weeks we were told by my dads doctors that after further biopsing his Lung cancer was at an uncurable Stage 4 as his cancer has spread throughout his lungs, and found more tumors up his throat and on his left axillary. We were told they had to do further testing to figure out what treatment plan was the best moving foward.

 During the wait for his treatment there was one day he had to call out from work as he was feeling lightheaded and ill, I was alone at home looking out for him for whatever he might need, when he began to have a seizure right infront of me. I immediately took him to the ER where they hooked him up to an EEG and ran more tests and was hospitalized. During this hospitalization alot happened my fathers health deteoriated after having one additional seizure and an EKG showed he had symptoms of a heart attack but my father was not expierencing any typical symptoms of a heart attack. After some testing doctors told us my father had to be transfered immidiately to a more specialized hospital to be admitted into the Cardio Thoracic ICU as my dad was in need of an emergency surgical procedure as doctors found out he had a severe case of pericardial enffusion which is a fluid build up around the heart which would cause a cardiac arrest if not drained ASAP. After the procedure my dad was hooked up to this drainage for a few days in which he had drained 1 liter worth of fluids that had been around his heart.

Thankfully my father recovered and some of his symptoms slightly improved after this procedure and had the drainage tube removed from his heart after a few days, Doctors are still biopsying the fluid gathered to determine if his cancer has spread to his heart. During this hospitalization my father also had more tests done to figure out what might have caused his seizures and after an MRI they found that my father had 4 tumors in his brain and one in which was causing inflamation to my fathers brain causing the seizures to happen. My dad since has been Put on steroids to hopefully diminish the inflamation and has also been put on Anti Seizure medications. My father was since discharged from the hospital on October 20th, 2023 And is now stable and resting at home. My father also officially started treatments for his cancer on October 21st, 2023 and we are yet to find out how my dads cancer is reacting to the treatments.

 Since the Cancer diagnosis my Father has shown immense courage and strength as he undergoes intensive treatments, medications, and therapies to combat cancer. Despite his incredible willpower, and efforts to remain his same old happy, funny, positive self the mounting of emotional and financial stress this is and will cause to our family has become overwhelming for us. My father has been the rock of our family and is no longer able to work putting us all in a very difficult fiancial stability for the times to come. At home we are all currently trying to organize ourselves to maintain our family stability and help my dad stay as comfortable and stress free as possible during his cancer battle but this has definetly been one of my fathers and our families additional stressors during this difficult time.

We are now humbly turning to the generosity of those around us and the wider community to help us in this time of need. Your contributions, will help us immensley during this time to pay for food, bills, and treatments for my father. Thank you all for taking the time to read my fathers story and thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers and generosity during this time of need, we are forever greatful.